Lessons
by Melonmeep
Summary: Pompous highschooler Hibiya Orihara has been sent to study at the shabby but esteemed "Tom's Tutoring". His outrage at his new situation, however, stops cold as he's placed into the teaching care of Tsugaru Heiwajima. And as their time together passes, the warmth and challenge of new feelings evolve into something more than companionship. (rated for safety, may change)
1. Chapter 1

Hi everyone! ( I can't seem to figure out this website, so the author's note will just have to go in here. But This is my first fanfiction ever, and believe me, it's pretty bad. Beta'd only by myself. So please don't be too hard on me, though if you have critique, I absolutely welcome it. But anyway! This pairing does NOT get enough love (or any, really) So I wrote this. There is more, I just wasn't confident enough to post it. We'll see what happens.  
But, most importantly, this is a birthday gift to my girlfriend. So: Darky, you mean the world and more to me and I love you sososososo much ^/^ I hope your birthday is perfect, and gives you every ounce of happiness in the world in the following year. I love you and happy birthday 33 33!  
Here we go!

Hibiya growled under his breath and tightened his grip around the abused piece of paper twisted in his palm. This was ridiculous. He shouldn't be here. He didn't belong in some ramshackle, filthy, demeaning hovel meant for _stupid PEASENTS!_ Damn every one of his teachers. It was obviously their own inadequacy at their profession that led him here. Not his own failures, he had no failures! He was of noble blood, this was below him!

Rage bubbling in his blood, he turned his honey eyes up towards the fogged-glass window on the door before him. _Tom's Tutoring_read the much-too-bold- sign above the frame. _Who would even name a place of education such a ridiculous title? There's no way these people can help me._ But he knew he had to go. Even father, who took the highest pride in their bloodline had supported the idea of sending him here.  
"There's a man there who's teachings are spoken highly of by a number of civilians" He had retorted when Hibiya raised his complaints. "I'm sending you to him, as I won't settle for anyone else. Nor will I stand your backtalk." At that, the conversation had ended and Hibiya's sentence was final. He was to attend tutoring in a revolting shack with a filthy peasant who some other peasant had said was talented. What did any of them know anyway? Curse them all. Curse everything.

But there was no working around it. And he was not a man to turn away from a challenge like this one. With a deep intake of stale air, he pressed one perfectly manicured hand against the splintering wood of the door and pushed.

* * *

Inside his office, Tsugaru Heiwajima straightened the last of his papers. He smiled, the stress of the day finally leaving his shoulders. He had only one more client, a new one, and then he was free to enjoy the walk home. He hadn't originally planned on taking on any more students-his schedule was full as it was-but his boss had practically forced him to. Tsugaru chuckled as he recalled the pleading tome in his voice: "Oh come onnnn, Tsugaru! You don't understand who these people are! They're Oriharas! _Orihara's_ Tsugaru! They'll pay us big bucks! Way more than any other client we've got! And their boy is just a sixteen year old kid! You can handle him, easy! Please?!" With begging like that, the calm teacher was unable to refuse. Besides, Tom-san would have probably never forgive him if he didn't take the boy on.

Tsugaru stood a bold six feet, two inches, and towered over most of his colleagues. In addition to his abnormal height, his stark blue eyes and golden hair set him apart from his surrounding Japanese peers. On numerous occasions he had wished his hair a darker color and his eyes a change in hue, but to no avail. He didn't desire the attention, he really didn't. But he supposed he was grateful. The striking appearance was part of what drew Tom-san to his brother, Shizuo. And because of the work connections between those two, Tom-san had met Tsugaru and noticed his striking intelligence and his unemployed state. It took less than a half hour of conversation between the two for Tom to offer and Tsugaru to accept a job at Tom's new industry: the hardly-famous _Tom's Tutoring_.

While it gave him less time to himself, time he held dear for meditating, cleaning, and cooking for his family, it opened the door to a number of opportunities for the otherwise recluse of a man. His calm demeanor and gentle ways had left him with little desire for work, or even social interaction. But giving was something he enjoyed. And teaching, he found, was just another form of giving.

A shrill ringing from a buzzer on his hardwood desk reverberated though the room, alerting him of the arrival of the newest student. Tsugaru gave a small smile. Admittedly, he was curious. What was a boy of such stature doing here? What would he be like? Interest piked, and papers prepared in the manila folder in his gentle grip, Tsugaru stepped from behind his desk and out into the mostly-empty lobby of the building.

* * *

Hibiya's agitation only grew stronger as he sat in the lobby, waiting for the man the disinterested secretary had "buzzed". What was a "buzz" anyway?! There was no way this place could help him…he looked around his surroundings. There were two other chairs, both the same disgusting teal color as his own and in potentially even worse condition. The alabaster walls were plain with the exception of a few typical schoolroom decorations: stickers of apples and ABC's, posters with the multiplication tables, and one loudly-ticking clock. A few advertising flies, from sponsors he supposed, lay around the room in half hazard piles. The only other adornment to the room was one wilting fern in the corner of the room. What plant could grow happily with only the synthetic light of much-too bright bulbs? _Insolence,_ thought Hibiya. Even the grouchy woman at the counter who had "buzzed" a few minutes prior held the same gloomy and fake aura as the rest of the room. Her long, ebony hair caressed a face that would be pretty-did it not hold so much agitation and malice. She looked familiar…didn't she used to work for his cousin? "Yagiri" read her nametag. Well, it was easy to see why she didn't work for him anymore, if that was the case.

So engrossed his him criticism was Hibiya that he hardly noticed the muffled sound of footsteps or the gentle voice sounding out his name in question. "O-Ori-Orihara-san? Orihara san?" Tsugaru's eyes scanned the room, and seeing only one viable suspect, decided to approach. "Orihara-san?"

Hibiya jumped, his head snapping up in a rushed attempt to look dignified, and glared at the intruder to his thoughts. "Yes?!" His mind however, stopped with one glance at the man now not more than a meter away from him. A figure much taller than himself stood before him, broad shoulders and a lean torso accented perfectly by a smooth gray suit, a crisp white dress shirt, and a vibrant blue silk tie. But even more striking than his body, which admittedly, was nice, was the gentleman's face. Vibrant yellow hair spiked flawlessly around his pale features. A curved chin and wide jaw were only accents to the perfect pools of blue that were the man's eyes. Beneath dark eyelashes shone gentle, smiling, azure orbs. Hibiya found himself breathless, and would be intimidated were it not for the soft look the man was delivering directly to him.

"Orihara Hibiya-san? My name's Tsugaru Heiwajima. I'll be serving as your tutor. It's a pleasure to meet you.

* * *

Tsugaru's eyes softened at the sight of the youthful-looking boy waiting for him in the lobby. Raven hair was styled smoothly, a few strands sticking out disobediently only further evidenced the boy's youth. The boy's taught back and overly-terse and high shoulders gave him an uptight aura that Tsugaru found intriguing. He couldn't help thinking that boys his age shouldn't look that burdened. Perfectly tailored to his body, the boy wore what was obviously his school uniform. A formal private school, if the emblem, gold tie, and prim, fitted jacket and slacks served as any indicator.

As he approached, the boy's features became cleared-and all the more attractive. Tsugaru could not deny how handsome his high cheekbones and sharp chin were. Nor could he refrain from admiring the sharp, authoritarian edge to his still soft voice. Even as the word "Yes?!" was irritably snapped at him, he found himself comparing he voice with wind chime; high and unpredictable, but still sharp. Piercing. Then, there to meet his own, came the boy's eyes. Temperamental gold honey met cool blue for the first time and Tsugaru couldn't help but feel his heart skip just a beat.

* * *

Tsugaru, after leading him into one of the multiple private study rooms, pulled out the chair for the younger before seating himself. "So, what brings you here?" his words paired with a gentle smile, his chin perched elegantly on top of interlaced fingers.

Hibiya swallowed his strange nervousness, trying desperately to resume his previous anger. It was unlike him to be so affected by another individual, but something about this man-Tsugaru's- calm and understanding gaze both made him settle and want to squirm. "I-my parents. My teachers a-as well. They all say I need tutoring, but I beg to differ. This is absurd."

"Well, it certainly doesn't hurt to try, does it? Tell me about yourself, Orihara-san."

Hibiya swallowed the lump in his throat. "Well…I'm fourth generation Orihara, we're very wealthy as a byproduct of our family industry started by generations before us. I attend a prestigious academy-" Tsugaru waved his hand smoothly to cut him off, sparking Hibiya's outrage.

"No, Orihara-san. I'm asking about _you_. What do you like, what are your goals, who are _you_?"

A stone cold silence filled the room for a brief moment. Hibiya felt his heart stop. No one had EVER asked him about what he wanted as a person or who he was. Who was he? For a split second, under this man's gaze, he wasn't sure.

"I, um…I like horses." The young boy mentally hit himself in the head. Smooth, Hibiya, smooth.

Tsugaru chuckled. "I like them too. They're very elegant animals."

Hibiya grasped the conversation threads for dear life. "Y-yes! I have one, you see, he's white and majestic. Father bought him for me in hopes that I'd start to ride, and I did. It's my pastime, you see. His name's Alfred." Hibiya cut himself off, rambling was not something he was typically accustomed to doing. He could not stop the embarrassed flush that overcame his cheeks.

Tsugaru however, continued off of him without hesitation. "He sounds lovely. I've ridden a few times as well, it's quite the experience. I'd love to see him sometime." Hibiya's heart gave another ridiculous flutter. "…if it's not too much trouble, perhaps one day you'll be able to bring in photos." Oh. Oh yes, of course. Photos. "That is," Tsugaru began again, "If you don't find our sessions as _absurd_ as you expect."

The answering flush of Hibiya's face spoke for itself. Maybe…just maybe…he had been a little too harsh on this place.


	2. Chapter 2

Hi everyone! I'm so sorry for the longlong delay in posting this. I've had something written for a long time, but only today did I have the chance to actually decide what I want to do with this story. Also, to clear a few things up, I think Hibiya would be around 17 in this story, and Tsugaru probably 22 or so. And /everything/ will be consensual. This is love. Also! I'm sorry, I know my writing "style" is pretty formal and awkward. I picture these two as being very much like that, but I fear it might be kind of overdone. If you have any critique, or anything to add at all I would appreciate it very much! Again, I'm very sorry for grammar/spelling errors or overall stupidity on my part. I hope you're able to enjoy this and that you have a very, super fantastic day! Okay, story, start!

Every Thursday and every Tuesday. Those were the days that Hibiya found himself walking from the school grounds just a little bit faster. He told himself it was for the sake of punctuality. He wouldn't want to be late to a meeting with someone as busy as Heiwajima-sensei. He told himself it wasn't because of the strange effect the blonde had on him. He assured himself it wasn't because he wanted to see him, but rather because he was diligent in pursuing his studies and wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible. It was definitely nothing else.

But…perhaps silently, it would be okay for Hibiya to notice the little things; little things that had peculiar little effects on him. Like how he felt like meting under the gaze of those ocean blue eyes. Or how when their hands so much as brushed against each other the boy felt some spark, some cool energy rush through him. Never mind the seemingly ever-present blush on his cheeks when the older male was around.

Shaking his head in futile attempt to banish the thoughts, Hibiya pushed open the door to the lobby he still pretended to hate. But this time, Tsugaru was there before him, leaning against a wall with a small smile dazzling the corners of his mouth. Hibiya took a moment to gape, before returning the smile with equal gentleness and approaching.

"I finished preparing a tad early, so I thought I'd await your arrival." Tsugaru 's smooth voice explained. "I wouldn't want to keep a prince like you waiting." After discovering how Hibiya valued himself not as an upper class citizen, but as a "prince", Tsugaru had not let it drop. And despite the embarrassment that mockery usually held, Hibiya found himself unable to feel the same anger when it was Tsuga…Heiwajima-sensei doing the teasing. Something about the man gave the illusion of an impossibility of malice anywhere within him. He was too gentle, too calm, too sincere. Hibiya liked it.

"W-well, good! That's the only proper way to treat someone who's gracing you with their presence! I'll have you know I was very busy today." Not that he planned on showing that like any time soon, though. Inwardly, Hibiya punched himself for being unable to lower his walls enough to so much as thank him properly. It was a nice gesture, after all. And the idea of the older male anticipating and awaiting his arrival made him…happy.

But Tsugaru understood. He gave an answering laugh that was like bells to Hibiya's ears and led them in comfortable silence to their study room.

As Tsugaru laid out the day's necessary papers from out of his plain folder, Hibiya took his seat and observed the nimble hands sifting through and distributing the sheets. _Somehow, _Hibiya mused, _He has such a ridiculous amount of grace…even while doing something so plain. _His dreamy thoughts about came to a curious halt with the realization that he knew next to nothing about him. _What does he do? How often is he here? Does he even like it? Hobbies? Favorite things? Goals for the future? _

Hibiya, taken surprise by his own thoughts, bit his lip. It was very seldom that he would ever take such an interest in another person, but now…he was curious.

"Say, Heiwajima-sensei…" Tsugaru's ocean orbs peered up at him curiously, only briefly halting his hands from their organization before beginning again. Despite his movement, it was obvious that the other man was listening. So Hibiya began. "What…what do you do? Like, u-um, what are your interests?" Hibiya's cheeks flooded with rosy red the moment the words were halfway out of his mouth. This was much too bold, not to mention awkward phrasing. A student shouldn't pry like that…but he was curious…

Another chuckle from Tsugaru calmed his nerves. "Oh?" the orientation of his pale features made it evident that the question came as a surprise. "I…I'm very fond of traditional Japanese activities. I love tea, and tea ceremony. I studied kendo in my youth, but to be honest…" Tsugaru's cheeks took a slightly pink tone "I most enjoy relaxing. I smoke, sit outside, and enjoy nature. I know it's odd, but it's so soothing…" His voice trailed off happily, and Hibiya found himself staring, mesmerized by the dreamy tone in his voice.

"That's…that's cool." He replied lamely.

Tsugaru looked up at him, suddenly feeling self-conscious after letting out such dull dialogue. Talking about himself always made him feel a little awkward. Especially to a boy so caught up in the world, his importance…boring him would be the last thing Tsugaru would ever want to do, especially when he held such fascination for his pupil. For whatever reason, Hibiya was quickly becoming his favorite student. He appreciated the boy's pride in himself, something so many people lacked. And while the "prince" would be at loath to admit it, he did put a great deal of effort into his lessons. It gave Tsugaru a sense of purpose, knowing that the boy would try his best to absorb all he said, and he could see in the boy's face that he listened carefully to each word he said. And, while he as a man would never admit it, the youth was not without his more…alluring charms. He was kind once the snappy exterior was tamed, and fascinating; the tutor felt that no matter how well he got to know this boy (and he wanted, as odd as it was, to know him well) there would always be more to know, more to learn. Being with Hibiya, Tsugaru settled, was like walking through the seasons-always different, always, well…beautiful.

Tsugaru released himself from his irksome thoughts, allowing his attention to return to the present. Turning toward the boy, he opened a book and smiled, stealing the quickest of glances at those bright, eager honey orbs that so defined his pupil. "So, todays lesson is on page 93, Hibiya, Golden Prince."

And that's that! I'm sorry for the lateness once again. There are a lot of family things going on right now, but writing I think might actually be helping me not be so sad. So hopefully the next chapter will be up soon! Have a great day everyone~!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N! Hi guys! Goodness, I'm so, so sorry this has taken so long. This chapter's a fair bit shorter than the other ones too. But I think I've finally got at least a fairly good idea of how I want this story to go, so with luck it'll be picking up pace soon! I hope you're all having a really good summer, it's cold and stuff here, but I think maybe we'll have a kind of nice day today! Also, official Hibi-feelings are going to start happening now, so there's that! Anyway, story time~! GO!

Three weeks later, just over a month into his tutoring lessons, Hibiya realizes this is not a thing he can ignore. He catches himself gazing into space, imagining scenes involving his older teacher, and tuning out the world to instead shut his eyes to conjure his light oceanic smell, cobalt stare, or imagine the feel of his tutor's callused fingers. Things so uniquely Tsugaru that Hibiya cannot help but shiver. And it is with these fragments of senses that his mind takes his want to a new level and the dreams begin to come. Sweet dreams where the two walk hand in hand, exchange the gentlest of touches, or, more and more frequently, Hibiya's body speaks for itself and the dreams delve further into shamefulness. He wakes up, exhausted, frustrated, and embarrassed. And each time this occurs, he wants the man more than ever. But even more than that he wants the gentle demeanor of the man, he wants to experience firsthand the sensation of melting into those arms he has imagined as so strong, and he wants to taste the love his mind won't cease to illustrate whenever it wanders.

* * *

It's getting harder to pay attention in lessons at Tom's now. Even the soothing lull of Heiwajima-sensei's voice narrating the words before them is lost to Hibiya's overactive imagination. He catches himself starting at him, trying to memorize his every feature, and wondering what his lips would taste like. Once, he alarmed himself with the realization that he had absentmindedly lifted a hand, and was moving to touch him. The realization had set in with immediate panic and retraction of his hand. The sharp way Hibiya jerked back to his body however, caused enough force that his chair tipped back and he almost fell: arms flailing as he let out an undignified yelp. And even in a situation that embarrassing, when Tsugaru's eyes turned to him first in confusion, then wrinkled with laughter, Hibiya still relished in the sensation of having his tutor's attention centered on him.

Hibiya wondered if he should quit. No matter what he felt, the highschooler was no idiot. The laws that restricted such an age difference, more so those that banned same-sex attraction, were not foreign to him. But no matter the foolishness, he could not bring himself to stop the lessons and instead remained to feed his addiction. Even if it was only silent, Hibiya would settle. Any moment with this man was a moment in heaven as far as he was concerned. That was, until the day Psyche showed up.

* * *

It was a Tuesday afternoon, and their lesson was drawing to a close. Hibiya had noticed from the first few minutes in that Tsugaru looked a little more…tired, than usual. His subtly slower movements and the mild darkness under his eyes would have gone unnoticed to most people, but with the lengths of time that Hibiya had spent admiring the taller man's features, the change was clear as crystal to him. Even so, it wasn't until the very end of lesson, as Heiwajima-sensei packed up the books, that Hibiya had the nerve to speak up. "Sensei, you look tired…are you alright?"

Once again, the blonde was caught off guard. Really, at this point he should be used to the boy's spontaneous questioning. "Ahha, keen as always, Orihara-san" His trademark gentle smile graced his features as he let out a light chuckle. "I've just had a busy day at home. Nothing for you to worry about, Mr. prince." Tsugaru let the last word hang a moment longer, the teasing successfully veering the conversation in another direction-much to the taller man's relief.

"Why do you insist on using such dumb names? Insolence" Hibiya's facial expression, some strange combination between a pout and a dismissive sniff, brought another laugh to Tsugaru's lips, followed by a small, breathtaking smirk. "Because I like seeing you flustered, Orihara-san. Until tomorrow."

And with that, Tsugaru tuned swiftly on his heel and disappeared back into his office; leaving Hibiya, dazed and flushed, staring after him. "U-until tomorrow…"


End file.
